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Algamimus flossetis - marsh spear
An aquatic member of the Gomphiobia, Etymology The word "planacorporian" comes from the Latin. It means "flat body." Physician Bob Smith first described the species from specimens obtained in salt water marshes on the content of Media Insula on Wallace II. His original hand-drawn pictures are used here. Evolution and classification Approximately 242 MYA, the supercontinent on Wallace II started pulling pulled apart from tectonic plate movement. This caused a mass extinction. Massive volcanic activity spewed ash, carbon dioxide, sulfur that mixed with water vapor to form sulfuric acid and deadly acid rain. Lava ignited massive forest fires. The percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere and the oceans dropped and the waters acidified, The acid dissolved the calcium in their exoskeleton, favoring individuals that had their skeletons inside their bodies. Even though the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere had diminished, planacorporians were able to use their proboscises and respiratory system to extract enough oxygen to survive. During the mass extinction event and for a considerable time after, natural selection favored respiration from air over water. As order Gomphiobia diverged, some forms became larger and others became smaller. Many of the smaller ones moved into the shallows. By staying in brackish shallows that were packed with vegetation, they avoided predation. This gave them two new problems: Eating and breathing. By 270 MYA, a branch of small gomphobians had evolved into the order we now call Planacorporis or "Flat bodies" today. Except for a strip running down their back that protected their spinal cord and brain, their bony plate armor turned into small osteoderms. While their bodies wouldn't flatten for millions of years, they all had several characteristics in common. The ancestral gomphobian saw-toothed head rostrum used to cut prey evolved to more of a jagged spike used to impale its prey. In order to grab their prey, the bones that formed the front pair of paddles elongated and formed powerful pincers. The remaining paddles developed into grasping limbs to allow it to pull itself along through the thickets of marsh Celestiphyta. Physical characteristics The tip of the planacorporian proboscises evolved to resemble the leaves of marsh and swamp Celestiphyta. Analysis of ancestral gomphobian predators strongly suggests that the proboscis tubes were hollow and lead directly to the olifactory system. This allowed them to smell from three places at the same time, enabling them to more rapidly find prey in dark oceans. To maintain the flow of water across the olfactory bulbs, the gomphiobian proboscises and the olfactory system had an indirect connection to the respiratory system. This evolved into a direct connection that was pumped by a series of bladders and a "snorkel" flap in their proboscis to prevent inhaling excessive sea water. Because they spent long times without moving, this system enlarged. To aid in detecting their prey, sensory organs evolved on the proboscis tubes. Hair like touch sensors evolved first. Simple pit photoreceptors evolved and grew more complicated as time passed. Exactly when planacorporia first evolved the electroreceptors to detect the nerve impulses of their prey that they are so famous for remains uncertain. Given that all extant species have it, it is believed to have been early. Distribution Their distribution is throughout shallow, warm waters on Wallace II. Hundreds of distinctive species are recognized. They are most common in shallow, brackish waters. There are both salt and freshwater varieties. Food and foraging A typical planacorporian species is Algamimus flossetis, more commonly known as the marsh spear. It is about 70 cm from the tip of its pincers to the end of its tail. The proboscis has evolved to closely resemble that of the common celestiphytan, Cephalanthus nodumsetis commonly known as marsh knotbrush. The ends of the proboscis of A. Flossetis have evolved to precisely resemble the 5-centimeter off-white blossoms while the body of their proboscis and their rostrum spike have the same color as the stems of C. nodumsetis. The typical hunting pattern of a marsh spear is to hide under gravel and the leaves of a knotbrush and extend its probosci so they are just above the water, just like a marsh knotbrush flower, and wait. Once something of suitable size lands on a proboscis, the pedals of all three proboscis will seize it as with a powerful flick of its tail the marsh spear will lunge straight up and skewer the prey. Once run through, the marsh spear will use its front pincers to cut its next meal apart and feed itself. Reproduction Planacorporians spawn yearly, normally at the first high tide following the vernal equinox. The male and female drag themselves ashore by their front pincers. The female releases thousands of eggs and the male inseminates them externally. There is no parental care. The fry must pull themselves to the ocean after the hatch. This is a feeding frenzy for many species such as Fluctusprehenderata rosea or "rosy faced wave catcher." Planacorporians are known to travel overland for kilometers, presumably in search of a better water habitat than the one they left. It is believed that through these overland journeys that Saburramhabitatoria branched off from them. Some managed to survive above the water, and adaptive pressure pushed them to better fit the land biome. Category:Gomphiobia Category:Dispeculata Category:Animal Storage Category:Ocean Category:Vadum Mare Category:Tenebrosa Aqua Category:Medio Mari Category:Plagam Maris Category:Mare Orientalem